Halkbank seeks U.S. Supreme Court review over sanctions case
NEW YORK: Turkey's Halkbank asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling saying it can be prosecuted for allegedly helping Iran evade American sanctions, a U.S.-based lawyer for the bank said on Monday.
The Supreme Court had given Halkbank until Monday to file a petition appealing the October 22, 2024, decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan allowing the prosecution.
In a letter to the appeals court, Halkbank's lawyer Robert Cary said the bank has filed the petition. The petition was not available on the Supreme Court's website. Cary did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Halkbank pleaded not guilty to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges over its alleged use of money servicers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions.
U.S. prosecutors said Halkbank helped Iran secretly transfer $20 billion of restricted funds, converted oil revenue into gold and cash to benefit Iranian interests, and documented fake food shipments to justify transfers of oil proceeds.
Brought in 2019, the case has been a thorn in U.S.-Turkey relations, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calling it an 'unlawful, ugly' step.
The countries' ties have soured in the last decade, amid disagreements on Syria, Ankara's ties with Moscow and other matters.
But on Monday, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump each said they had a very productive phone call earlier in the day, and had invited each other to their respective countries.
Halkbank's case is making a second trip to the Supreme Court.
In 2023, that court said Congress' desire to shield foreign countries and their instrumentalities from civil liability under the federal Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 did not cover criminal cases.
But in a 7-2 decision, it said the 2nd Circuit should more fully review whether common law immunity shielded Halkbank, leading to last October's ruling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
12 minutes ago
- The Star
New Russian ambassador tells Trump he will work to restore relations
FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian walks with an umbrella outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation, near the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo (Reuters) -The new Russian ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, pledged to work to fully restore relations with Washington as he formally presented his credentials to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported. "Russia and the United States are destined, as great powers, to have non-confrontational peaceful existence," the agencies quoted Darchiev as telling a reception at Russian embassy after returning from the White House. "It was a great honour for me, as Russian ambassador, to speak with President Trump and I assured him that I and this embassy under my direction will do everything to restore Russian-American relations and bring them back to normality and common sense." He said Trump had found time to receive him on the eve of the Russia Day holiday - which marks Russia's 1990 declaration of sovereignty, more than a year before the Soviet collapse. Darchiev has already completed two diplomatic stints in the United States and served as ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021. Like other senior Russian diplomats, he has in recent years issued strong public denunciations of the United States and the West. Washington's relations with Moscow plunged to their lowest in decades under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, over the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Ties have improved since Trump took office, with the two sides in contact to discuss a possible resolution to the conflict. "We have at last moved from monologues under the previous administration and a general absence of discussion to quite a pragmatic conversation, a complicated conversation," Darchiev was quoted as saying. The ambassador said his meeting with the U.S. president was a short one as dictated by protocol. "Nonetheless, our discussion was very constructive," the agencies quoted him as saying. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump attends 'Les Miserables' at revamped Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON: Months after orchestrating a conservative takeover of the Kennedy Center's leadership, President Donald Trump arrived there on Wednesday to attend "Les Miserables," his first show at the performing arts facility that has become a symbol of U.S. cultural and political divides. Trump did not attend events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second. Deriding it on social media for putting on "Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth," he pushed out its former chairman, fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution he described as being in tremendous disrepair. The fallout has been swift. The musical "Hamilton" canceled plans to appear there, staff left and sales of subscriptions and individual tickets for Kennedy Center shows have dropped, according to two people briefed on the data. Overall year-on-year subscription revenue was down 36% to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to one source. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82%. A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024. "Our renewal campaign is just kicking off," said Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, in a statement. Cooper also noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to "mix and match" genres and said more announcements of shows were coming. The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for "Les Miserables" have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official. "President Trump cares deeply about American arts and culture, which is why he is revitalizing historic institutions like the Kennedy Center to their former greatness," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. Trump's appearance at the opening night of "Les Miserables", a show about citizens rising up against their government, comes just days after he sent U.S. Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. First lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance also were attending. Trump will sit in the presidential box overlooking center stage, but he is not guaranteed a friendly reception in the 2,300-seat theater. When Vance attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year, the crowd booed. Supportive donors will be present on Wednesday, but tickets for the musical were available for purchase by the public as well, along with regular subscribers. The night is sold out. Trump's appearance is meant to juice fundraising. Donors who pay $100,000 to $2 million get to attend a reception before the show, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the theater. The Kennedy Center is turning the event into one on par with its signature shows, including the Kennedy Center Honors, featuring a red carpet for high-profile guests with reporters and photographers in place. A Kennedy Center spokeswoman described the entry as similar to a "Hollywood movie premiere" with board members, lawmakers and Trump administration officials appearing. Under the leadership of Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, the Kennedy Center has sought to add more conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Meanwhile, while Trump zeroed in on drag shows when he said the Kennedy Center had lost its way, multiple upcoming musicals include characters dressed in drag, such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Chicago." Other musicals have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official.
The Sun
14 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump Attends ‘Les Misérables' Amid Kennedy Center Controversy
WASHINGTON: Months after orchestrating a conservative takeover of the Kennedy Center's leadership, President Donald Trump arrived there on Wednesday to attend "Les Miserables," his first show at the performing arts facility that has become a symbol of U.S. cultural and political divides. Trump did not attend events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second. Deriding it on social media for putting on "Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth," he pushed out its former chairman, fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution he described as being in tremendous disrepair. The fallout has been swift. The musical "Hamilton" canceled plans to appear there, staff left and sales of subscriptions and individual tickets for Kennedy Center shows have dropped, according to two people briefed on the data. Overall year-on-year subscription revenue was down 36% to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to one source. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82%. A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024. "Our renewal campaign is just kicking off," said Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, in a statement. Cooper also noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to "mix and match" genres and said more announcements of shows were coming. The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for "Les Miserables" have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official. "President Trump cares deeply about American arts and culture, which is why he is revitalizing historic institutions like the Kennedy Center to their former greatness," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. Trump's appearance at the opening night of "Les Miserables", a show about citizens rising up against their government, comes just days after he sent U.S. Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. First lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance also were attending. Trump will sit in the presidential box overlooking center stage, but he is not guaranteed a friendly reception in the 2,300-seat theater. When Vance attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year, the crowd booed. Supportive donors will be present on Wednesday, but tickets for the musical were available for purchase by the public as well, along with regular subscribers. The night is sold out. Trump's appearance is meant to juice fundraising. Donors who pay $100,000 to $2 million get to attend a reception before the show, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the theater. The Kennedy Center is turning the event into one on par with its signature shows, including the Kennedy Center Honors, featuring a red carpet for high-profile guests with reporters and photographers in place. A Kennedy Center spokeswoman described the entry as similar to a "Hollywood movie premiere" with board members, lawmakers and Trump administration officials appearing. Under the leadership of Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, the Kennedy Center has sought to add more conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Meanwhile, while Trump zeroed in on drag shows when he said the Kennedy Center had lost its way, multiple upcoming musicals include characters dressed in drag, such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Chicago." Other musicals have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official.
